1. First ask yourself, "What do they have in common?
The first step in a Compare and Contrast paper is a Venn Diagram. Let's Compare and Contrast soccer and basketball.
First ask yourself, "What do they have in common?

2. Both played with balls
Both games played using timed 'quarters'.
Both played on a rectangular field, with the object of the game being to penetrate the opponent’s territory and "scoring".
Both are popular spectator sports

3. Now, for the "contrast" part: Ask your self now, "How are they different from each other?"

4. Soccer Basketball played with feet played with hands
ball kicked into net 
ball is thrown into a net
a goalie defends the net
a guard defends the net
"dribbling" means kicking
"dribbling" means bouncing

5. Keep in mind, the reader does not want to just see a list of similarities and differences. BORING! Don’t just write, "In soccer, the ball is kicked into the goal for a point. In basketball, the ball is thrown into the net for a point."

6. Try showing the reader, instead:
"Dribbling the ball on the gym floor, the basketball player weaves in and out through the opposition, his final destination, a 10 foot high net, clearly in his sights. The soccer player, however, dribbles the ball with his feet, kicking his way down the grassy field, finally 'shooting' the ball with all of his might, past the goalie, and into the rectangular net at the end of the field."

7. Critical Thinking Question: Compare and contrast the colonization of North America by the Spanish, French and English: their goals (why did they come to North America?), methods (how did they go about establishing colonies?), and the consequences (what happened as a result?).